guest is an insurance company and wants to tour before booking

[Michelle4882]

this is outside the rules of airbnb, how to handle? and can I request a refundable deposit along with their request? 

[Joelle43]

Hello @Michelle4882 

A hard no!! You are a new host and this type of scam request is not unknown I'm afraid.  They want to take you off platform obviously and I would simply reply that this is not allowed by Airbnb and your photos are a true reflection of the listing.

Did this request come through as an enquiry or as a trip request by the way?  Airbnb require different things from us depending on how this came through.

As for asking a deposit, this is only permitted if you go through a Channel Manager AND that it is clearly stated on your listing as a requirement.